Russia women’s field hockey team visits India

By the last match, the Russian team had a tall target to beat the undefeated Indian squad with a margin of four goals in order to qualify. Source: Press Photo

Playing in the FIH Hockey World League introduces the Russian women’s team to India and its capacity to amaze and shock.

Russian goalkeeper Oksana Serezhkina has
memories of a busy time in New Delhi dealing with either the charge of strikers
in the competitive field of play or the barrage of people in the bustling
market of Connaught Place. “There are just too many people!” she exclaims as
she begins to describe her experience of visiting a country which is very
unlike her own, “It is my first time in India and this place is very different
from what I’ve ever experienced.”

While Delhiites are coping with the
bitter-sweet chill of late February, the weather is a tad too hot for the
Russian ladies and the cuisine even more so. Asked to be a translator for her
non-English speaking teammates Oksana quips, “May be I should do that after
dinner and then I’ll have plenty of emotions to describe.”

Public spaces crammed with people,
sometimes even animals, and roads jammed with haphazard traffic give them a
first impression of shock. Such a reaction is natural for any unprepared
visitor. It is clear that they are here for work and not necessarily
subscribers of the various charms which draw international tourists to India.
Wary of people bothering visible foreigners, they set out for souvenir shopping
in small groups and never alone.

Visiting teams
rarely get enough opportunities to travel around due to the hectic tournament
schedules. However an excursion to Taj Mahal is sort of a tradition for all
guests. Oksana recalls being surprised at the sight of camel carts and tongas—horse-drawn carriages ferrying
tourists from the parking lot to the mausoleum complex, “I didn’t know that
animals were still being used for transportation.” The first view of the Taj
itself, though memorable, falls a little short of absolute wonder, “It is
extremely beautiful. I can’t imagine how such a magnificent building was
constructed. But I guess I was expecting more of a jaw-dropping sight. I wish
there actually was a black Taj Mahal alongside with a bridge across the river,”
she has clearly been engrossed in their guide’s anecdotes. When asked if there
is any other place which she would like to visit, she quite expectedly
answers—Goa—“so many of my friends talk about Goa.”

While going around in Indian cities
presents a lot of surprises for the Russian ladies, playing in one of the
finest field hockey facilities in the world has them amazed. Oksana confesses
being impressed by the Dhyan Chand National Stadium, the venue for the second
round of world cup qualifiers, “We haven’t seen such a huge stadium anywhere in
Europe. There should be such a place in Russia as well,” she wishes. She also
notices that there are very few spectators during the women’s matches. Like ice
hockey overshadows the field version in Russia, the men’s league has far more
followers than the women’s sport in India.

At the onset the two top seeded teams of
Japan and India were marked as favourites to qualify while those of Russia,
Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Fiji were expected to compete well. The Russian
ladies did a commendable job coming very close to defeating Japan when a rising
backhand shot by Tamara Ivanova levelled the game. It took the fifth round of
shoot-outs to tilt the balance in Japan’s favour. The Indian team faced a
similar fate against Japan. By the last match, the Russian team had a tall
target to beat the undefeated Indian squad with a margin of four goals in order
to qualify. The Russian team’s journey to the tournament semis was over but not
till the potential of the likes of Oksana Serezhkina, Tamara Ivanova, Maria
Nikitina and Ekaterina Shaburova was acknowledged. And, curiosity about a
distant culture was established.

Oksana is
particularly awed about the legendary feats of Major Dhyan Chand—the magician
with a hockey stick for a wand, “I wish there was someone who could tell us all
of this and a lot more which I want to know. Why do some women in the Indian
squad don’t use their second names? How independent and empowered are Indian
women?” she has a lot of questions. Having arrived with no prior knowledge
about the place she was overwhelmed by a land in stark contrast to her own.
After about a month long stay she has surely received a powerful impression and
has also made some new friends to keep in touch, at the very least, through
Facebook.